GFM Network News

More News →

Tag Archives Don Flaten

This field trial at Clayton Harder Farms near Winnipeg, Man., illustrates the impact of starter P on a canola crop. The right side had phosphorus and sulfur fertilizer applied in the seed row at planting and the left side did not.
Crops, Features

How to make P management more sustainable

Phosphorus deficits are a problem on many Prairie farms. A Manitoba crop nutrition expert explains why — and has suggestions for what can help

By
Phosphorus has always been an essential nutrient in crop production. Maintaining the right P balance — ensuring there’s enough of it to sufficiently feed crops, but not too much of it so it runs off fields or seeps away to contaminate water bodies — is an ongoing challenge for Prairie farmers. Manitoba crop nutrition expert […] Read more
The future of broadcasting nitrogen in the fall
Crops

The future of broadcasting nitrogen in the fall

The inefficient practice is on the rise; however limits may be on the way in Manitoba

By
Broadcasting in fall is the quickest and easiest way to apply nitrogen — and the least efficient. So why, anecdotally at least, does the practice seem to be on the increase? Bigger farms and a shortage of labour could be part of it. Moreover, nobody knows when poor weather will shut down field operations. And […] Read more
This is a feed barley crop at Spiritwood, Sask., in 1996, on Gray Wooded loam soil. This crop yielded 80 bu./ac. with no fertilizer in the year of seeding.
Columns, Crops

A convert to long-term experiments

Soil fertility is a long-term prospect that calls for long-term approaches to research

By
In my younger days I was not a fan of long-term experiments. Almost all were on Federal Research stations with good soils and plot practices that did not always relate to farm fields. But recent information coming from long-term experiments has changed my mind. Worldwide, the longest experiment is the famous Broadbalk field at Rothamsted […] Read more
The University of Manitoba has been conducting trials on soybean’s phosphorus uptake.
Crops, Features, Soybeans

Do soybeans need phosphorus?

Phosphorus fertilizer won’t increase soybean yield, but good strategies can maintain fertility

By
Soybeans are efficient feeders for soil phosphorus (P) and in most cases growers are not going to see an increase in yield from additional P fertilization, regardless of the soil test P, according to research trials in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Since 2013, Dr. Don Flaten and Gustavo Bardella of the University of Manitoba, together with […] Read more
Zero tillage can increase P loss
Crops, Features

Zero tillage can increase P loss

Phosphorus can drain off the soil during snowmelt. Periodic tillage may reduce the losses

By
The latest soil-management recommendation will come as a surprise: In some cases, producers should consider periodic tillage to reduce the risk of phosphorus (P) loss from conservation tillage systems. According to Don Flaten, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Soil Science, zero tillage actually increases P loading from soils to surface water […] Read more

AgCanadaTV

AGCanadaTV: In case you missed it; your national ag news recap for Aug. 15, 2025

Sponsored By:
More Videos →

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

Glacier Farmmedia Podcast

Latest Market News

More Market News →